Mayborn Conference draws writers, students together

By Nasreen Iqbal / Staff Writer

The Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism hosted its sixth annual Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference at the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center in Grapevine.

The conference, which serves as both a learning tool and common area for writers to meet and mingle at, saw more than 400 guests from July 23 to 25, according to conference planner Jo Ann Ballantine.

“This is really one of the most important events in the field of narrative literature,” said Mitch Land, the conference director and dean of the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism.

Land said that the concentration of so many bestselling authors is what made the conference stimulating.

“Students have the opportunity to be directly impacted by successful historians, writers and journalists,” Land said. “These are really the rock stars of narrative literature.”

Memoirist Mary Karr, sports writer Gary Smith and “Black Hawk Down” author Mark Bowden, were a few literary figures who served as guest speakers at the conference.

“I had a lot of fun,” Bowden said. “I think that the work that I’ve been doing since I left newspaper tends to be fairly solitary, so I enjoyed speaking with writers and listening to other presenters.”

Bowden said he can see how the conference would be particularly beneficial to students since it “demystifies the career of a writer” and allows students to see such individuals as being less than superhuman.

Journalism graduate student, Danny Fulgencio, agrees with Bowden.

“Accessibility is key in the case of the Mayborn Conference,” Fulgencio said. “Students have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with authors who are highly regarded in their field. For the amount of talent present, the conference was utterly unpretentious.”

For many attendees, like Fulgencio and fellow journalism graduate student Noah Bunn, the three day event began early and ended late.

“Being tired wasn’t an issue,” Bunn said. “The energy level is high to begin with because you are surrounded by people who share the same passion and are linked together by a common thread.”

For Tracy Everbach of the journalism faculty, the conference was equally enjoyable.

“It was amazing to see writers from all over the country gather there, all dedicated to the same cause: good storytelling,” she said.